Showing posts with label butterflies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butterflies. Show all posts

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Botanical Gardens Tour - Day 1 - Thursday, July 29, 2021 - Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, Nashville, TN

 In order to break up the long trip between my home and the state where my parents and sister and her family live, I planned a trip of botanical gardens to visit along the way.  This would be my first solo road trip in a long time and a chance to enjoy some gardens without having to worry about whether a travel companion was getting impatient as I chase yet another bumble bee.  

My first stop was Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee which is about a three hour drive from our home.  I had requested a timed ticket for when they opened at 9 which meant an early morning but was very worth it as the temperatures climbed.  The high that day in Nashville was supposed to be 99*F with a dew point close to 80*F.  Even though it was morning so hadn't reached those temperatures yet, I would be lying if I said it wasn't hot and sticky!

I didn't get tickets to the mansion as that is something my husband would really enjoy and we will be back to Nashville but the gardens surrounding the mansion are absolutely breathtaking.  I'll let my photos do the rest of the talking.

















Artist Sean Kenney had created these lego animals that were found throughout the garden - a special exhibit this summer.









Rabbits made out of legos - part of the exhibit by Sean Kenney
















The Japanese Gardens were really designed well with views from quite a few angles. include from above on a small hill


After about two hours, I decided it was time to continue on my journey.  I was staying at the Fairfield Inn in Champaign, IL that was about 6.5 hours away.


Botanical Gardens Tour - Day 3 - Monday, August 2, 2021 - Chicago Botanic Garden, Illinois

I arrived at the Chicago Botanic Garden at around 9am.  It was another beautiful day!  These gardens are so huge and there are so many carefully planted gardens that a surprise waits you around every corner.

























Great Blue Heron























The boardwalk to Spider Island - I didn't see any spiders though....
























By the time the clock showed noon, my feet were really dragging and I was walking past more flowers than I was photographing.  The sun had been shining down on me for three hours and I had walked much of the massive grounds of the garden.  It was time to move on and the day's drive to the hotel, a Fairfield Inn in Elizabethtown, KY turned into over seven hours with road closures and heavy traffic in Indianapolis.  The hotel was one of the best Marriott brand hotels in which I have stayed in recent times.  The internet was blazing fast.  The hotel was very well maintained and clean and the staff quite friendly.  It was a nice place to rest my head and sort through photos.